Biomass Week - June 27, 2018

EPA releases proposed 2019 RFS RVOs, fails to address waivers The EPA has proposed to require 19.88 billion gallons of biofuels to be blended into the U.S. fuel supply in 2019, up from 19.29 billion gallons in 2018. The rule allows for 15 billion gallons of corn ethanol, but does not address hardship waivers. READ MORE SHARE
Sununu vetoes bill to provide support to biomass plants New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has vetoed a bill that aimed to require electric distribution companies to purchase energy from the state’s six independent biomass plants and single waste-to-energy facility. READ MORE SHARE
	House subcommittee holds hearing on advanced biofuels, RFS The House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing June 22 titled “Advanced Biofuels Under the Renewable Fuel Standard: Current Status and Future Prospects," that included a discussion of post-2022 RFS policy. READ MORE SHARE
EPA ignores DOE recommendations on RFS hardship waivers Members of the biofuels industry are speaking out to criticize the EPA following news that the agency consistently ignored recommendations from the Department of Energy to reject or limit waivers to oil refiners seeking exemptions from the RFS. READ MORE SHARE
Connecticut DEEP selects AD project through recent RFP The Connecticut department of Energy and Environmental Protection has selected more than 250 MW of renewable energy projects through a recent request for proposals (RFP), including a 1.6 MW anaerobic digestion project. READ MORE SHARE
EPA: 22.23 million cellulosic RINs generated in May The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for May, reporting that nearly 1.67 billion RINs were generated during the month, including nearly 22.23 million cellulosic RINs. READ MORE SHARE
Valmet to supply automation systems to biomass heating plant Valmet recently announced it has received an automation order from Lahti Energy for the Kymijärvi III biomass-fueled heating plant currently under construction in Lahti, Finland. The system is scheduled to be commissioned in 2020. READ MORE SHARE
House members demand answers from EPA on RFS, waivers On June 20, 12 democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and House Committee on Agriculture asked the U.S. EPA to provide additional information regarding its failed implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard. READ MORE SHARE
Velocys moves forward on UK plant, partners with PQ for catalyst Velocys plc has secured funding to support a waste-to-jet fuel project in the U.K. and announced the formation of a partnership with PQ Corp. to supply commercial quantities of its proprietary catalyst for multiple biorefineries. READ MORE SHARE
ORNL discovery could boost biofuel yields Researchers have discovered mutations in a structure of a key plant enzyme that was not previously known to exist. The discovery could help squeeze more potential out of poplar as a renewable resource for making biofuels and bioproducts. READ MORE SHARE
Fluence wins contract for wastewater-to-energy system in Belgium Fluence Corporation Ltd. has received a contract for a wastewater treatment and waste-to-energy system from ArcelorMittal. The system will use anaerobic digestion to produce biogas from off-gas fermentation byproducts at the company's steel mill. READ MORE SHARE
Air Liquide inaugurates a biomethane production unit in France Air Liquide inaugurated a biomethane production unit and a multi-energy distribution station on June 22 in Cestas, France. The station distributes bio-natural gas for vehicles (bio-NGV) that is purified from biogas. READ MORE SHARE
WSU professor lands grant to pursue lignin to biofuel conversion Washington State University Tri-Cities associate professor Xiao Zhang is targeting the use of lignin—a common material that makes the cell walls of plants rigid—to create affordable biofuels and bioproducts. READ MORE SHARE
Gevo, Avfuel enter into renewable jet fuel supply agreement Gevo Inc. announced today that it has entered into a long-term agreement to supply its renewable alcohol-to-jet fuel (ATJ) to Avfuel Corp., effective July 1. Avfuel is a leading global supplier of aviation fuel that more than 3,000 locations. READ MORE SHARE
Algal-based college certificate program announces first graduates The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office-funded Algae Technology Educational Consortium is proud to announce its first graduates from the algal certificate program at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. READ MORE SHARE